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Jacob's 4e Redesign Journal
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<blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 8643373" data-attributes="member: 6667921"><p>Revisions, changes, and new posts are made above this post.</p><p>[SPOILER="Work in progress"]</p><h3>The Bell Curve Roll (3d6)</h3><p>The best place to start when rebuilding an engine is at the core (or in this case, the core mechanic). The basis of my remodel begins by replacing the archaic d20 mechanic and develop a 3d6-based system instead. This is not a simple swap, however. Every edition of the game has been built around the core mechanic, which affects actions, balance, abilities, and everything else. You cannot just replace one set of dice (or die) with another and expect everything else to fall into place. That's why it is called a <em>core mechanic</em>.</p><p></p><p>Using 3d6 is not a new concept. The idea is actually quite popular. The problem is that no one seems to give it much more consideration beyond substituting the d20 in the regular rules of the game, and then hope that everything else just works out. When you change the core mechanic, the defining backbone of how the entire system works and designed around, you got to make some changes. Or in this case, just start building from the ground up.</p><p></p><p>One of the attractive features of the bell curve (for me) is that it has probably the most reliable chances of probability in real application. Unlike a single d20 roll, you can safely assume that the majority of the rolls will produce a result between 9 and 12 before any modifiers are applied. Likewise, a roll above 15 or below 6 are going to be extremely rare. This does not eliminate the possibility of rolling extremely high or low, but it does mitigate them to become rare occurrences. Thus, the chances of a high or low result are completely in the hands of the dice (or chance, or fate, or whatever you want to call it).</p><p></p><p>(<em>Check out this page for a breakdown on 3d6 rolls and some probability charts!</em> <a href="https://www.thedarkfortress.co.uk/tech_reports/3_dice_rolls.php#.YDqAVdxMFPY" target="_blank">Link</a>.)</p><p></p><p>So how does this change the game? Well first of all, it emphasizes the competence of the players and their characters when they perform actions in the game. There is still an element of chance, luck, and unpredictability with the dice. But those chances are significantly reduced from what they were with a single d20. In my games, I prefer the characters to have more control on the outcome determined by their decisions rather than the dice.</p><p></p><p>If you think about a typical D&D game, rolling a d20 usually indicates an skill check of some sort. Whether its an attack roll to see if you land a blow with your weapon against an opponent, or a skill/ability check to try and scale a difficult wall, you are rolling to see if you can achieve a specific goal.</p><p></p><p>Suppose your character is a fighter with good strength, exceptional proficiency, and some experience. In game terms, this may amount to a decent modifier (+6) for most actions where he is expected to excel, like melee combat and climbing walls. He encounters a monster with an 16 AC, so he needs to roll a 10 or higher to inflict damage. We are led to believe that the average result on a d20 is 10.5 because <em>math</em>. So it shouldn't be a issue. In truth, the math doesn't tell you the whole story.</p><p></p><p>Dice are stupid. They have no memory and no conscience. You could believe that if you roll a d20 100 times, then it should hit every number from 1 to 20 about 5 times each. And you would be wrong. Once you roll a die, everything resets. You have the exact same chances you had the last time you rolled. The only thing that might have changed is the results you're hoping for. That is why you have some nights when you make a dozen rolls and never get anything over a 5, and other nights when you can't roll under 16. Now imagine how long you would hold your job if your productivity and attendance were this inconsistent.</p><p></p><p>Don't get me wrong, though. I like some degree of luck in games. We are relying on dice, after all. But when it comes to determining the resultd of our actions, I want choices to matter more than dumb luck. If I built a ranger character to be really good at survival and tracking quarry in the wild, then I should expect him to be able to perform consistently and with some level of competence. The more difficult tasks might prove more challenging, of course. But those are cases when he may not be expected to succeed. Then again, my specialist character should not be easily outshined by another character who just has better luck with their dice rolls.</p><p></p><p>This is how d20 consistently undermines the design, the narrative, the expectations, and the choices of the players and the game. It gives more relevance to chance and luck, and strips away control from player choices and game design. Beyond that, there is much more that can be done with a bell curve roll. I'll be discussing that more in the next section.</p><h3>Critical Results</h3><p>Since the 3d6 creates more than the average number of average results, the question is no longer can the character do what he is supposed to do. If they are competent at it, they should be able to do it adequately with average results. Let me emphasize: <em>average results</em>.</p><p></p><p>What is an average result in D&D? Its the average fighter swinging his average weapon and hitting the ogre for the average 1d8 damage. That is what is expected, and you have to roll a d20 to get permission to make sure that it happens. But regardless of what you roll on the attempt, it only allows you the opportunity to roll your normal damage. And what happens when the d8s give you nothing but 1s and 2s? Well that just shows how luck is actually stacked against you. And scoring a consistently average result isn't going to upset the game balance.</p><p></p><p>Rolling doubles, however, is the real key to this engine. The total result determines if you succeed in your attempted action, but doubles are the kicker and they're not always to your benefit. Like most previous editions, rolling high gets you better results. So rolling double 3s or lower can trigger bad effects, while double 4s and higher get you good effects. Regardless if its good or bad, its called a <em>critical result</em>.</p><p></p><table style='width: 100%'><tr><th><p style="text-align: center">Doubles Rolled</p> </th><th><p style="text-align: center">Critical Result</p> </th><th><p style="text-align: center">Example</p> </th></tr><tr><td><p style="text-align: center">1s</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">Critical Failure</p> </td><td>Break weapon, trigger monster reaction, etc.</td></tr><tr><td><p style="text-align: center">2s, 3s</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">Bane</p> </td><td>Suffer minor damage, give enemy advantage, etc.</td></tr><tr><td><p style="text-align: center">4s, 5s</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">Boon</p> </td><td>Find a secret, give friend advantage, etc.</td></tr><tr><td><p style="text-align: center">6s</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">Critical Success</p> </td><td>Critical damage, recover ability use, etc.</td></tr></table><p>[/SPOILER]</p><p>[HR][/HR]</p><p><strong><em>Please refrain from making posts or comments in this thread. There is an ongoing journal with a lot of information, but it is going to take me a long time to write it. If you like, I have created a separate discussion thread that y<strong><em>ou can find it by following this </em></strong><a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/jacobs-dream-engine-discussion-thread.688179/" target="_blank"><strong><em>link</em></strong></a><strong><em>.</em></strong> Please direct any comments, questions, etc., there. Thank you.</em></strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jacob Lewis, post: 8643373, member: 6667921"] Revisions, changes, and new posts are made above this post. [SPOILER="Work in progress"] [HEADING=2]The Bell Curve Roll (3d6)[/HEADING] The best place to start when rebuilding an engine is at the core (or in this case, the core mechanic). The basis of my remodel begins by replacing the archaic d20 mechanic and develop a 3d6-based system instead. This is not a simple swap, however. Every edition of the game has been built around the core mechanic, which affects actions, balance, abilities, and everything else. You cannot just replace one set of dice (or die) with another and expect everything else to fall into place. That's why it is called a [I]core mechanic[/I]. Using 3d6 is not a new concept. The idea is actually quite popular. The problem is that no one seems to give it much more consideration beyond substituting the d20 in the regular rules of the game, and then hope that everything else just works out. When you change the core mechanic, the defining backbone of how the entire system works and designed around, you got to make some changes. Or in this case, just start building from the ground up. One of the attractive features of the bell curve (for me) is that it has probably the most reliable chances of probability in real application. Unlike a single d20 roll, you can safely assume that the majority of the rolls will produce a result between 9 and 12 before any modifiers are applied. Likewise, a roll above 15 or below 6 are going to be extremely rare. This does not eliminate the possibility of rolling extremely high or low, but it does mitigate them to become rare occurrences. Thus, the chances of a high or low result are completely in the hands of the dice (or chance, or fate, or whatever you want to call it). ([I]Check out this page for a breakdown on 3d6 rolls and some probability charts![/I] [URL='https://www.thedarkfortress.co.uk/tech_reports/3_dice_rolls.php#.YDqAVdxMFPY']Link[/URL].) So how does this change the game? Well first of all, it emphasizes the competence of the players and their characters when they perform actions in the game. There is still an element of chance, luck, and unpredictability with the dice. But those chances are significantly reduced from what they were with a single d20. In my games, I prefer the characters to have more control on the outcome determined by their decisions rather than the dice. If you think about a typical D&D game, rolling a d20 usually indicates an skill check of some sort. Whether its an attack roll to see if you land a blow with your weapon against an opponent, or a skill/ability check to try and scale a difficult wall, you are rolling to see if you can achieve a specific goal. Suppose your character is a fighter with good strength, exceptional proficiency, and some experience. In game terms, this may amount to a decent modifier (+6) for most actions where he is expected to excel, like melee combat and climbing walls. He encounters a monster with an 16 AC, so he needs to roll a 10 or higher to inflict damage. We are led to believe that the average result on a d20 is 10.5 because [I]math[/I]. So it shouldn't be a issue. In truth, the math doesn't tell you the whole story. Dice are stupid. They have no memory and no conscience. You could believe that if you roll a d20 100 times, then it should hit every number from 1 to 20 about 5 times each. And you would be wrong. Once you roll a die, everything resets. You have the exact same chances you had the last time you rolled. The only thing that might have changed is the results you're hoping for. That is why you have some nights when you make a dozen rolls and never get anything over a 5, and other nights when you can't roll under 16. Now imagine how long you would hold your job if your productivity and attendance were this inconsistent. Don't get me wrong, though. I like some degree of luck in games. We are relying on dice, after all. But when it comes to determining the resultd of our actions, I want choices to matter more than dumb luck. If I built a ranger character to be really good at survival and tracking quarry in the wild, then I should expect him to be able to perform consistently and with some level of competence. The more difficult tasks might prove more challenging, of course. But those are cases when he may not be expected to succeed. Then again, my specialist character should not be easily outshined by another character who just has better luck with their dice rolls. This is how d20 consistently undermines the design, the narrative, the expectations, and the choices of the players and the game. It gives more relevance to chance and luck, and strips away control from player choices and game design. Beyond that, there is much more that can be done with a bell curve roll. I'll be discussing that more in the next section. [HEADING=2]Critical Results[/HEADING] Since the 3d6 creates more than the average number of average results, the question is no longer can the character do what he is supposed to do. If they are competent at it, they should be able to do it adequately with average results. Let me emphasize: [I]average results[/I]. What is an average result in D&D? Its the average fighter swinging his average weapon and hitting the ogre for the average 1d8 damage. That is what is expected, and you have to roll a d20 to get permission to make sure that it happens. But regardless of what you roll on the attempt, it only allows you the opportunity to roll your normal damage. And what happens when the d8s give you nothing but 1s and 2s? Well that just shows how luck is actually stacked against you. And scoring a consistently average result isn't going to upset the game balance. Rolling doubles, however, is the real key to this engine. The total result determines if you succeed in your attempted action, but doubles are the kicker and they're not always to your benefit. Like most previous editions, rolling high gets you better results. So rolling double 3s or lower can trigger bad effects, while double 4s and higher get you good effects. Regardless if its good or bad, its called a [I]critical result[/I]. [TABLE] [TR] [TH][CENTER]Doubles Rolled[/CENTER][/TH] [TH][CENTER]Critical Result[/CENTER][/TH] [TH][CENTER]Example[/CENTER][/TH] [/TR] [TR] [TD][CENTER]1s[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]Critical Failure[/CENTER][/TD] [TD]Break weapon, trigger monster reaction, etc.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][CENTER]2s, 3s[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]Bane[/CENTER][/TD] [TD]Suffer minor damage, give enemy advantage, etc.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][CENTER]4s, 5s[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]Boon[/CENTER][/TD] [TD]Find a secret, give friend advantage, etc.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][CENTER]6s[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]Critical Success[/CENTER][/TD] [TD]Critical damage, recover ability use, etc.[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/SPOILER] [HR][/HR] [B][I]Please refrain from making posts or comments in this thread. There is an ongoing journal with a lot of information, but it is going to take me a long time to write it. If you like, I have created a separate discussion thread that y[B][I]ou can find it by following this [/I][/B][URL='https://www.enworld.org/threads/jacobs-dream-engine-discussion-thread.688179/'][B][I]link[/I][/B][/URL][B][I].[/I][/B] Please direct any comments, questions, etc., there. Thank you.[/I][/B] [/QUOTE]
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